ABN AMRO CPC Run The Hague is a celebration for everyone

It is hard to imagine, but there was a time when women were not welcome at running events. In those 'prehistoric' times a single lady managed to illegally participate in a men's marathon, but she never saw her time mentioned in the results. Another made the world press because in 1967 an official wanted to forcefully remove her from the course of the Boston marathon.
That brutal attempt failed and the picture of the incident brought, the then 20-year old, Kathrine Switzer international fame. The American remained committed in various ways to the rights of female runners, in 1974 won the New York Marathon legally and became a legend.

"The running courses we organise for the five and ten kilometre distances are attended mainly by women"

Meanwhile, more women than ever are running. In the U.S. the number of women entering events is equal to the number of men. Developments in America are often an indication of what is about to happen in The Netherlands. Especially in the shorter distances, the number of female participants is growing. The running courses we organise for the five and ten kilometre distances are attended mainly by women.
Thirty years after the first Kijkduin women's marathon in our country, the Ladies Run has become an established concept. The women, who have long been striving for emancipation and equality, now have their own run. Without men. Without the hunt for records. The adidas Ladies Run, that will be held in Rotterdam on Sunday, June 19 for the fifth time, goes one step further. The adidas Ladies Run is not just a running event, it is distinguished by its unique lifestyle concept that has been specifically designed for the woman who lives an active and healthy life. Not just running five and ten kilometres. With special features such as music and dance, a fashion show, lounge facilities, a ladies fair on the Ladies Plaza and a charity: Pink Ribbon, the foundation that contributes to the fight against breast cancer. That is the difference between this run and an 'ordinary' ladies run.
This approach is catching on. In 2007 we began with roughly 1808 entries. To ensure the high quality of the event this year we will close the event for entries when six thousand runners have entered. But the end of the growth is not yet in sight.
It is not without reason that the start and finish of the adidas Ladies Run has been moved from Kop van Zuid to Ahoy. This inspiring environment gives the event the space and the opportunity to evolve into the Ladies Run of The Netherlands.

'Running for women is not an end in itself but a means to enjoy a nice, friendly atmosphere together'

We realize that women experience running in a different way to men, with less emphasis on performance. For most ladies time is not their first concern. They run mainly for the company. They have a great sense of togetherness. A relaxing day together with friends, with mother or daughter - having something fun to do, is an important part of our Ladies Run. In short: sports, shopping and clubbing. Running, for women, is not an end in itself but a means to enjoy a nice, friendly atmosphere together. The adidas Ladies Run is a celebratory experience for every woman. Our Like2Run philosophy also explicitly applies to this running experience: each participant is a winner - and as an organization we go that extra mile to give all our runners that wonderful satisfied feeling. In our last Ladies Run I saw some five thousand women running, all with smiling, happy faces. They were really enjoying themselves. That's when I think, this is what we do it all for.

Mario Kadiks